operators may curtail lish and 

 w ildlifc operations temporarily 

 diiruiy emergency situations/ A 

 predetennined protocol should 

 be established by the Technical 

 Management Team and the 

 Implementation Team for emer- 

 gency actions. ' Ho\\e\er. the 

 option of curtailing iish and wild- 

 life operations during emergency 

 situations should not be used in 

 lieu of establishing an adec|uate 

 and reliable power supply.'' 



Strategy: Establish and maintain 

 a plan to assure coordination of 

 mainstem operations and improve- 

 ments. 



• Mainstem Coordination Plan 



The Council will assist inter- 

 ested parties to de\elop and rec- 

 ommend for adoption mto this 

 program a mainstem coordi- 

 nation plan, similar to the sub- 



■* An emergency can occur due to a major 

 temperature drop like those experienced 

 in 1989 and 1990 or due to the temporary 

 loss of generation from a maior resource 

 like the Columbia Generating Station or 

 a powerhouse at a mainstem dam, or the 

 loss of a major portion of the transmis- 

 sion capability on the noilhern or south- 

 em interties. 



" in general, all existing resources in 

 the Western Integrated System should 

 be dispatched prior to curtailing fish 

 and wildlife operations. All reasonable 

 efforts should also be made to relieve the 

 emergency using demand-side resources, 

 including requests for customers to vol- 

 untarily cut back use. During winter 

 emergencies, water being held in reser- 

 voirs for spring and summer tlow aug- 

 mentation may be drafted. Once the 

 emergency is resolved, any tlow aug- 

 mentation water used should be replaced 

 as soon as possible, to the extent pos- 

 sible. During summer emergencies, 

 bypass spill for lish may be curtailed or 

 reduced or additional tlow augmentation 

 water may be released. 

 '' If the Northwest power system is 

 deemed to be inadequate, new resources 

 (whether generating or demand-side) 

 should be developed to bring the system 

 up to expected standards. Resources that 

 integrate more ct1'ecti\cly with fish and 

 wildlife operations should he given high- 

 est priority for development. 



basin plans described in this pro- 

 gram. I" his plan will develop 

 standards for systemwide coor- 

 dination, such as flow regimes, 

 spill, reservoir elevations, water 

 retention times, passage modifi- 

 cations at mainstem dams, and 

 operational requirements to pro- 

 tect mainstetii spawning and rear- 

 ing areas. This plan is in addi- 

 tion to the annual operating plan 

 described earlier. 



• Specific Biok>gical Objectives 

 and Measures Relevant to Hydro- 

 system Operations 



As the Council considers and 

 adopts specific objectives and 

 measures at the system, province, 

 and subbasin levels, the Council 

 may adopt more specific biologi- 

 cal objectives and measures for 

 mainstem operations. As pro- 

 vided in the section on further 

 rulemakings, page 51, the main- 

 stem coordination plan will be 

 the vehicle for considering and 

 adopting these specific objectives 

 and measures. Specific objectives 

 and measures will be coordinated 

 with the mainstem and hydrosys- 

 tem standards and actions con- 

 tained in the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service's and U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service's biological 

 opinions and with the require- 

 ments of applicable federal laws. 



• Key Uncertainties 



As pai1 of its cycle for project 

 funding recommendations, the 

 Council will regularly convene 

 a meeting offish and wildlife 

 agencies and tribes and hydro- 

 system operating agencies for 

 the puqiose of identifying key 

 uncertainties about the operation 

 of the hydrosystem and assi>ci- 

 ated mainstem mitigation activ- 

 ities such as transportation of 

 juvenile fish. This list of key 

 uncertainties will be the starting 

 point tor targeted requests for 

 research proposals. 



Longer-term I'laiining Perspectives 



The region is in need of long- 

 term planning regarding the cur- 

 rent constraints on, and objec- 

 tives of, water management, 

 including current flood control 

 requirements; the limitations on 

 the purposes of managing water 

 under the Columbia River Treaty; 

 the requirements, opportunities 

 and challenges of considering 

 broader habitat needs, such as 

 mainstem spawning and rearing 

 habitat, estuary and plume 

 impacts, and ocean habitat; and 

 the region's long-term energy 

 and capacity power system needs 

 in the context of a changing 

 energy industi^, and the potential 

 implications for fish and wildlife. 



Working with federal agencies 

 in the region, the tribes and the 

 state fish and wildlife agencies, 

 the Council will facilitate a long- 

 term planning study to include 

 consideration of reconfiguration 

 and operational alternatives that 

 could provide benefits for fish 

 and wildlife on a broad scale. 

 The study should also assess 

 the economic and hydropower 

 impacts of all reconfiguration and 

 operational alternatives. 



Fast Fact 



III 1998. the Council des- 

 ignated 44.001) miles dJ' river 

 reaches in t/ie hasiii as "pro- 

 tected areas " wliere Indroelec- 

 tric developiiiciil woidd have 

 endangered fish and wildlije 

 and their liahitut. 



■^^em 



2000 Columbia river Basin Fish and Wildlife 



29 



